Киевская Христианская Церковь

I was born in St.Petersburg, Russia, in atheistic family. My mother divorced my father when I was 12 and after that, I preferred to spend much time on the streets. In 6^th grade, I was expelled from school and I never came back.

I started drinking, indulged in wild life, began to steal and I got to prison. There in the prison, I began to use drugs and I continued it after the prison term.

I tried to quit many times, but never could. My biggest pain was my ever crying mother, who used to say: “If you will be killed, I would weep one last time instead of crying my heart out every day…”

Twenty (!) times I went through different types of treatment –from the most expensive to the mental treatment facilities, but they did not help.

My grandma had the apartment in Lugansk and I decided to stay with her. I wanted to start the new life – free of any bad habits, far from my addicted friends, free from drugs.

However, the problem was inside me. I was the reason of my problems, not the circumstances.

When in Lugansk I met local addicts and got to know local police as well.

There in Lugansk I met my future wife Olga. We began to steal together. Later she got pregnant from me and gave birth to our son. His name is Denis.

By the time when she had to give birth, Olga and I were on WANTED list and when I came to the hospital where Olga was, we were detained and our week-old son was taken to the baby care center.

After the trial, Olga was imprisoned. There in the prison she accepted Christ as her Savior. When I visited her at the prison, she shared with me that there is another kind of life and I have to repent and accept that life.

I suspected that she plays the role of a “good girl” to get out of prison earlier. I listened to her, but did not respond.

Olga told me that people from the church, which provide rehabilitation for addicts, visits the prison she is in. She gave me their phone number and told me: «Go to the Rehab or you will perish». She explained to me that truth is in Jesus, not in “fair” criminal principles.

I believed her and made an appointment with the Rehab to meet me at the prison gate when my visitation with Olga will be over.

I wanted to play the trick and I left that visitation three hours earlier. I came to the local store to have a drink and when I came out of the store, I met face to face with the brother who had to wait for me three hours later. I still do not know how he happened to be there, since he does not live in that area.

This man asked me - “What are you doing, moron? Thirty Christian women are praying for you constantly. Get on the bus and go to the Rehab”.

He took all the money so that I would not drink anymore and drove me to the Rehab center. There at the center I decided to seek God whatever the cost. I thought that if I will see something bad in people around me, it would not hinder me from seeking God.

I went through the whole Rehab course and was baptized. Olga was baptized at the same time in the prison. There at the prison we had out wedding. Olga somehow got the wedding dress in the prison (!). We were registered officially.

After the prison term was over, Olga also came to the Rehab center.

Later we came to live at the Adaptation center in Makariv. We applied to the authorities to restore our parental rights and our request was approved. Recently we took our son Denis from his grandparents to live with us.

We praise our God for His amazing love to us!